Playing-cards.



L. L.` PERRINE.

PLAYING CARDS.

APPLICATIQN FILED MAY 3|, 191s.

1 ,246, 1 52. y Patented Nov.` 13, 1917.

Qol L-Q zl+8 8 nur orrron.

LEROY L. PERRINE, OFBEDFORD, INDIANA.

PLAYING-CARDS.

Application led May 31 1916. Serial No. 100,815.`

To all 'whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY L. PERRINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bedford, in the county `of Lawrence and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Playing-Cards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to game cards, and particularly to a pack of cards designed for the purpose of affording interest, amusement and instruction.

The object of the invention is to provide a ingcharacteristic features of the invention;

igs. 2, 3 and 4 show obverse and reverse views of selected cards of certain suits of the pack;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are obverse views of cards illlstrating adaptations of the invention; an v Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views of irregular or joker cards.

In carrying my invention into practice, I provide a pack of cards consisting of any desired number of suits, and of a prescribed number of cards in each suit, together with or including supplemental card or cards having certain arbitrary values, as hereinafter fully described. For purposes of illustration, it may be considered that the pack consists of twelve suits of cards, of twelve cards to the first suit,I and of progressively diminishing numbers throughout the remaining suits, together with other supplemental or arbitrarily valued cards, if desired. For reasons which will hereinafter appear all of the suits following the first diminish successively in number by one in regular selquence, throughout' the series, the second suit numbering eleven cards, the third ten cards, the fourth nine cards, and so on to the last (the twelfth) suit, whichnumbers but one (a single) card only.

The cards of the different suits are provided With indicia for presenting certain arithmetical problems to be solved, in addl- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

tion to which the cards are preferably and suitably provided with the products or answers to the respective problems. In the present instance I have shown in Figs. 2, and 4 the obverse and reverse faces, re-

spectively, of certain cards belongin to certain suits, Figs. 2 and 8 showing the rst and last cards of the first suit, and Fig. 4 the first card of the second suit.

The cards as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, are printed in a suitable color or colors to present problems or examples in multiplication, and it will be observed that the card shown in Fig. 2, which is the first card of the first suit, bears upon its obverse face a the problem or example 1X1, disposed at different ends of the card in reverse relationship, so as to Show alike with .either end of the card uppermost, and upon its reverse face the number l, expressing the product or answer to the problem. It will also be observed that the -obverse and reverse faces of the final card of the first suit shown in Fig. 3 bear in a similar manner the problem or example 1 12 and the product or answer 12. From this it may be understood that the first set of cards of the pack will constitute the first section of problems of the multiplication table, denoting problems of the numeral l as the multiplicand multiplied by consecutive multiplier numerals ranging from one to twelve, inclusive, while Y the cards of the second suit will bear in consecutive order problems usingV the numeral 2 as an exponent multiplicand 'for multipli'cation by multiplier numerals from two to twelve, inclusive, and so on throughout the suits or series of cards up to the final or twelfth suit, which consists of a single card,

as shown in Fig. l, bearin upon its obverse face the problem 12 12 and upon its reverse face the answer thereto.

By this mode of presenting the examples or problems each suit or series of cards will, in addition to numbering one less than the preceding suit, have its examples or problems begin with its own number, in its order of arrangement in the suit, both-as multiplier and multiplicand, as, for instance, 3X3, 5X5, 8X8, respectively, for the initial cards of the third,`fifth and eighth suits.

'This is due to the fact that it is unnecessary to repeat the same example reversed in different suits (as 3X4 in the third suit would be equivalent to 4X3 in the fourth suit), and hence by the novel notation set forth but seventy-eight cards instead of one hundred` and forty-four (exclusive of supplementary cards) need be used to express all the wide range of sums in the multiplication table. The subject indicia is accordingly reduced to the simplest possible degree with obvious advantages in point of bulk of cards used in the pack, expense of manufacture, convenience of use and understanding, and other important considerations.

Thus it will be observed that the pack of cards may consist in general of a set of suits or series of cards bearing arithmetical problems, shown for example as multiplication problems, the diiiferent cards of the different suits bearing diiierent problems throughout a plurality or series of multiplier divisions, while the cards of each suit or series bear diierent problems within the multiplier division covered thereby, and hence that by the use of cards bearing the stated indicia diderent multiplication problems will be expressed for display and use and ythe answers thereto given. ln a like manner the cards may be made to present other arithmetical problems in addition, subtraction and division, as illustrated by certain cards shown by way of exempliicaton in Fi s. 5, S and 7, which, in practice, will em ody all essential features of the cards shown in Fiss. 2 to il, inclusive, each bearing upon its yface the proper gures and signs expressing the problems and. upon its back the answer to such problems. The object in supplying the product or the answer to the problem on each card upon the back or the card, for concealment until such side of the card is exposed, is to enable all doubts to be settled as to the proper answer to a problem in the playing of the game or solving of the problems by children of lower grades or those not procient in mathematics.,

ln addition to any number of regularor exponent cards in a pack, l provide, as hereinbefore stated, other cards having arbitrary indications or valuesy two ol which are shown, for purposesof exemplication, in Figs. 8 and 9. lt will be observed that these cards bear exponents expressing irregular or non-solvable problems, that appearing on the card shown in Fig. 8 indicating in subtraction an impossible problem, as 5-7, while that appearing upon the card shown in Fig. 9 shows a similar impossible problem, namely, 6+7. These cards, which may be removed `when the pack is used by small children or the lower grades for instruction work, serve the function of jokers and are intended for use in playing a game for which the cards are particularly adapted, and which I call Arithmo, which cards are given out under certain conditions to the first player at the start of a game. Fach of these joker or irregular cards is intended to naa-euse have a certain arbitrary value, which may, for example, be equal to ten or more regular cards for counting purposes.

lt will oit' course be understood that the cards may be employed by an instructor in teaching arithmetic to children and others, and may be used by disposing diderent cards throughout the different divisions or series in turn to present different examples to be solved, the answers to which may be found upon the backs of the cards in case of dispute or for certainty of decision. By the use of different packs of cards with problems in diderent arithmetical processes or divisions, as multiplication, addition, subtraction and division, it will also be obvious that instructions in lower mathematics may be given in an interesting and entertaining manner. course, the cards may bear other matter more or less related to the subject, and the size of the pack, as welles the number of suits in each pack, may vary as desired or as may be considered most advisable for instruction or amusenient purposes.

ln playing with the cards the game Arithmo or any similar game, the players gather about a table and any number of persons within reasonable limits may play the game. of these, preferably the best lin addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, may be appointed the dealer, who takes the pack of cards in one hand, with the exponent side of each card up, that is, with the sides bearing the problems or examples facing in the same direction and disposed so as to be brought into general view, the dealer holding the cards so that the obverse faces thereoiE will be wholly concealed.

To start the game the dealer calls Arithmo and throws one card upon the table in view "of all the players, the obverse face up. rlhe player-who rst calls the correct'answer to the problem or example presented by this card takes the card and the dealer immediately throws down another card. With children and others who may not be proficient, the dealer, in case of doubt, may refer to the back ofthe cards for the correct answer. Should two call the correct answer so nearly together that the dealer cannot decide to whom the card belongs, it is put on the bottom of the pack to be thrown or dealt later. When the cards are all out "of the dealers hands, the game is over and the. player holding the greatest number of cards wins. As before stated, the irregular or joker cards have arbitrary values, and of these cards there may be one or more in each pack, and such cards may be given to the rst' pla er calling Arithmo or solving the pro lem at the start of the game and at other predetermined periods or portions throughout the game, if so desired. These irregular or joker cards, therefore, may be material factors in deciding a closely played game and 1n addition to their arbitrary values add zest in affording increased interest and amusement.

As will be apparent, the game is not only instructive and causes greatinterest but is amusing to a high degree, and the cards having value both for instruction Work simply, as Well as instruction and amusement, increase the range of usefulness of the invention to a material degree. It will of course be -understood that in playing a game or instructing those advanced in arithmetic the cards of the dierent sets or divisions may be miXed. l

Having thus described my invention, I claim: Y

A pack of cards comprising a designated series of suits of cards bearing arithmetical examples upon their obverse faces and the answers thereto upon their reverse faces, the cards of the different suits bearing dierent index gures of progressively increasing values, the` cards of the respective suits also progressively decreasing in number by one in regular sequence throughout the series, the examples upon the cards of the same suit differing from each other in arithmetical value but having the same index figure as fa basis for calculation, and the examples upon the cards of the different suits progressively increasing in arithmetical values throughout the several suits.

In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LEROY L. PERRINE.

Witnesses: p

HENRY P. PEARsoN, C. C. TURNER. 

